Metisse Music

An independent French music publisher

Editorial: 2015...

Posted January 13, 2015

The year 2015 will be a crucial one for music, for the artists and for the music business. Times are changing more and more quickly, and we all need to adapt, find new solutions, make new connections while pursuing our various musical passions.

In France, like in many other countries, independent record companies and distributors are struggling, music publishers need to adapt to new systems at our SACEM society and need to try and make up for missing support for artists/authors/composers elsewhere; giving artistic advice, creating connections with other musicians, helping to find labels and distribution, in France or abroad, helping with promotion and marketing ideas, even investing in production, and helping to make the music known internationally.

This said, we are as motivated as ever by projects which are already on their way to finding their audiences across France, Europe and further away. The last year has brought in interest in music represented here from film producers, advertising, dance companies, television etc., in France but also in Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the US, Canada etc.
Extremely talented and not at all “run of the mill” artists like Jun Miyake (Yellowbird/Enja) and Airelle Besson (Naïve) have had amazing reactions from the media and the public and will have great opportunities to widen their audiences in 2015.
Jazz is not dead, at all, as demonstrated by Sylvain Rifflet with his Moondog project “Perpetual Motion” (Harmonia Mundi), Airelle Besson/Nelson Veras with “Prelude” (Naïve), Paul Lay and his quartet with “Mikado” (Laborie), all receiving great reviews and getting all sorts of awards. Internationally, both Jon Hassell and Jacky Terrasson continue on their great creative paths, as does Dave Liebman, collaborating on some great projects with well-known international artists as well as supporting young artists starting their careers – to mention just a few.
The Luxemburg jazz scene brought in some amazing discoveries and signings with the enterprising and adventurous trio Reis/Demuth/Wiltgen as well as the very creative saxophonist Maxime Bender and vibraphone player Pascal Schumacher.
2015 will see two releases by the creative, subtle and energetic Pascal Schumacher (on January on Edel (Germany) with the exciting trio Khalifé/Schumacher/Tristano’s “Afrodiziak” and in March with a solo release on Laborie Records in France), as well as Jacky Terrasson with his new release “Take This” on Impulse/Universal and a concert in June at the prestigious Paris Olympia, amongst others, as well as Sylvain Rifflet’s splendid group Alphabet in March on French label Laborie.
The multitalented Gregory Dargent (oud, composition, production) impresses with the multitude of inventive, original creations, from world music to jazz, from trio to orchestra. Several projects will follow last year’s release of his band L’Hijâz’Car (Buda Musique) which garnered admiration well beyond his French homeland: the first one is “Sirvenés” on French world music label Accord Croisés as well as two other productions, to follow during the course of the year.
Greek oud player, composer and producer Kyriakos Kalaitzidis (leader of the group En Chordais, last release in 2014 “The Voyages of Marco Polo” on Harmonia Mundi) finished the arrangements and production for the January 2015 release on Accords Croisés with Françoise Atlan / En Chordais of music from the period of the Ottoman empire.
The well known French composer/guitarist René Aubry is very active composing music for the cinema these days, especially in the UK but also in France, as well as for dance production. His second musical creation for dance, choreographer Carolyn Carlson’s new piece “Now”, a big, sold out success in Paris at the end of 2014, will be on release as a CD in 2015, as well as a beautiful mini album of solo guitar called “Days”, due out at the end of January.
New blues/rock/soul signature Gaëlle Buswel is starting an international career with her new release “Black & Blue”, which will be on release across Europe, as well as in Canada and the USA.Toma Feterman, leader of the group La Caravane Passe (5 CDs released), which earned a lot of admiration and enthusiasm with their music in concerts at big festivals in Germany last year, is now part of the duo Soviet Suprem. He has also created music for a second, very successful one man show called “Magic Delirium” by French comic Eric Antoine. They have been filling the Olympia end of 2014, with a first act Freylekh Trio, a klezmer trio lead by Feterman, and the show will be touring in 2015.
Scottish folk artist Fraser Anderson, who lived in France for a few years and returned to Great Britain last year has his original and delicate album “Little Glass Box” released on German based label Membran. While it is out already in Germany and the UK, the French release is scheduled for February 2015.